He Didn't Have To Be
by msrachelb
Summary: She had a habit of falling asleep on his shoulder. She had no idea what that meant to her until she saw a picture of the two of them and it all became clear. He was her dad. *A collection of one shots of the relationship between father and daughter that didn't have to but was obviously meant to be. Deacon Daphne.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 || A New Beginning**

They had all gone out to dinner to Deacon's favorite diner. They often went for breakfast whenever their mom was at work and it was up to Deacon to feed them, but tonight they were there celebrating the fact that they were all available in the evening for once. He had only been living with them for three days and it had been a huge adjustment for Daphne, but the more she saw her mom happy with the man she had known her entire life the more she knew that change was the best thing for them.

She and Deacon were sitting opposite her mom and Maddie. Her older sister and mom were arguing while the others sat silently looking over the menu only sharing glances when the other two would take a short thirty seconds to breathe before one would pick up the argument all over again.

"Any idea what they're fightin' over this time?" Deacon asked in a whisper and Daphne shrugged. They only fought over two things these days Colt and her impending music career. Tonight she could care less about what the topic was about. She wasn't feeling the best and while she knew it wasn't as major as what he was going through, she still didn't want to speak up about it.

"Can we order?" She finally spoke up breaking the bickering up across the table with her tired but annoyed voice. "Seriously, you two are exhausting." The eleven year old felt whiny and quickly ducked her head towards the menu as the three of them.

"You okay, Daph?" Rayna asked noticing how pale Daphne looked. Looking over at Deacon she watched as her partner slowly raised his hand to her cheeks and forehead. She smiled softly at the gesture knowing how much Deacon loved her girls.

"You're burnin' up darlin'." He said softly and Rayna's heart sank hating when any of her loved ones was sick. "Why don't we get you home." He suggested and Daphne quickly shook her head.

"I'm fine. I'm just hungry and tired. Let's just order, please." Daphne requested and Rayna just nodded motioning for the waitress so that they could get their order in.

They sat in mostly silence as they waited for their food to arrive, Rayna and Deacon made light conversation with each other while the girls sort of relaxed in their presence. The longer they sat the worse Daphne felt, she was tired and restless and the longer she sat the more she wanted to lay her head down. Before she could say anything, Deacon was nudging her arm before gesturing for her to lean into him and before she even thought about it her body was moving towards his and her head resting at his shoulder.

Deacon's heart about burst and if he had read her correctly by the look in her eyes, Rayna's did too. It had been a weird transition from going from band mates to enemies to lovers and everything in between over the years. He had been in the girl's lives since he got out of rehab and found Rayna married to Teddy and Maddie in her arms. Years later he knew that Maddie was his own flesh and blood and he loved Daphne as if she was too. It hadn't been easy though, nothing was easy with a past like his and Rayna's and a cancer diagnosis he had never wanted the girls to hurt over. Yet knowing that Daphne trusted him enough to rest against him? It meant the world to him.

He let her slowly eat her soup like that while he ate his dinner until he felt her go slack against him. Looking down with a smile he saw her sleeping peacefully, not a care in the world for the rest of the diner and finally giving in to the exhaustion that had been written all over her face. Carefully he brushed his lips over her head just enough for her to know he was there for her but unknowingly of the photo that was being taken across the table.

And that was the first photo to be added to Maddie's collection of Daphne and Deacon sleeping.

 **Hello! This is basically word vomit because the inspiration randomly hit me but I'm excited to develop little stories like this over the next x many chapters. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 || 2003**

He had no idea what they were doing performing a show weeks after Rayna just had a baby. Hell he had a trouble wrapping his mind around her being a mom to Maddie, let alone to two girls. It felt like yesterday still that he had gotten out of rehab and she was not only married to Teddy Conrad but she was holding the other mans baby. Now they were a family of four and he felt more and more pathetic every day he missed her.

Deacon was working sitting on the stage scribbling on a piece of paper random song lyrics as he mindlessly strummed the guitar. "Deacon." He heard as a greeting as he looked up to see Rayna walking across the stage, Daphne in her arms. The tiny baby looked even smaller against her mom but damn did she look good holding her.

"Hi." He said simply as he pushed his things to the side and stood up. What he wasn't expecting was for her to unexpectedly hold a baby out to him. "uh." He murmured not sure what she wanted to do.

"Will you take her for like five minutes please? I need to run through this set list with Josh personally, since apparently you two can't get along." He shrugged at the comment about the immature pianist who still couldn't do her songs or their songs justice after however long he'd been in the band. "Please? Just a second until Teddy gets here." He internally rolled his eyes but still nodded as he carefully took the baby in his arms.

When was the last time he had held a baby? He couldn't tell you.

Looking down at the little girl it was like on cue she started to cry. "Come on now." He said softly as he bounced awkwardly with her in his arms before moving her to lay against his chest and shoulder. Walking around in a circle he nervously looked around for Rayna having no idea where she had ran off to. It was almost like a joke to him. Holding her beautiful daughter, another reminder of everything he had lost yet another reason to stay sober so he didn't miss out on anymore of his life.

Carefully he sat down in a chair off stage rubbing the little one's back as she finally calmed down. It had been like two minutes and he was exhausted already. Just like that he respected her that much more.

He didn't know how long he sat there at some point becoming completely relaxed by the soft breathing up the newborn. Lost in his thoughts, it was a familiar giggle that brought him out of it. In her hands was a developing Polaroid that made him roll his eyes.

And that was the very first photo taken of Deacon and Daphne.

 **Thank you SO much for all the nice reviews. I'm having a lot of fun with my cute word vomit and have a few prompts I'll be writing over the next few days!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 || Movie Night

There had been very few times throughout her life that Rayna had related to her father. She had never had the best relationship with him and never understood what was going on between them enough to try and establish one. When he kicked her out of the house at sixteen years old she had promised herself to never ever treat her children the same way.

She had promised herself that for years and still Maddie felt the need to remove herself from her care.

The court hearing had shattered her. She felt like she had been living in a daze ever since and the more that time went on the less she wanted to get up in the morning knowing that her daughter wanted nothing to do with her. Maddie had sat in that courtroom declaring Deacon unfit to be her father and completely destroyed the household Rayna had worked so hard to build.

From that moment on she had completely stopped talking to Deacon except absolutely necessary. She couldn't have a conversation with him knowing that he hadn't helped the situation. She was just completely lost on how to feel and what to do. But she still had a family, she still had Daphne and she was going to be damned if she pushed her youngest away too.

Deacon had suggested a movie night for the three of them, the perfect way to do something as a family but not actually communicate with one another. Honestly it was the first thing she had agreed with him on in days.

Daphne was thrilled.

Sort of.

Never in her life had Daphne been without her sister. Not once since she had been born had she known a life without her. They sang together, they wrote together, they did everything together. Her older sister was her world and despite them growing apart, as Maddie got older and more independent, she never thought she would actually leave her.

She could still remember when Maddie learned of her real paternity. It wasn't her mom's accident that stood out; it was the fact that she and Maddie weren't the same anymore. They had a different father and looking back at it now she knew that it was the moment everything started changing. She didn't directly blame Deacon for what happened back then or even now, but he still felt like the only factor that made sense.

Maddie had always been a little selfish, she often thought of herself and the fame she longed for and Daphne knew that was the reason she left her. It was all her and no one else, but things had gotten dirty so fast that she still hadn't processed the days she had left and after their parents coming home from the hearing. She had witnessed her mom's happiness fall apart before her eyes and Deacon falling into a place of sorrow that she knew she'd never understand. He blamed himself, her mom blamed him and Daphne just felt alone.

The idea of a movie night was probably the least enthusiastic approach to family time she had heard but she appreciated the effort by her stepfather. While he and her mom searched for a movie she made the popcorn and entered the living room to find them on opposite sides of the room from each other, he on the couch and she in the chair. Sighing she moved to sit beside of him and offered him the bowl before tucking her legs underneath of her.

"What are we watching?" She asked hoping to get some sort of communication out of them. It was weird how things had changed so fast. It seemed like they had just gotten married and she had seen them at their happiest and now it was like they were strangers again.

"Footloose." Deacon said and she swore she seen her mom's mouth twitch into an almost smile. Deacon hated that movie but she loved it. They had playful fights about it all the time and Daph smiled at him before scooting closer so that they could share the popcorn easier as he clicked play.

She had watched the movie a thousand of times over the years that she basically knew it from heart. They all did but that never stopped her mom from lighting up every time the opening scene came on. She found herself watching her mom and stepdad more than the movie. Laying her head against Deacons shoulder she smiled at him wanting him to know she was still there, no mater how tense the room was when either of them realized they were actually enjoying themselves and the movie.

Looking over at her mom she saw her looking back at them a glimpse of calmness in her eyes Daphne hadn't seen in such a long time. "I'm happy we could do this."

"Me too." Things were never going to be the same, Rayna knew that but she also knew that the man and the little girl across from her weren't going anywhere no matter what. Maybe just maybe she had to make that her new reality for a bit.

By the end of the movie both Daphne and Deacon were asleep, her husband's arm around her daughter holding her close both of them lost in each other's comfort instead of the movie and it made it for as perfect of an evening as she was going to get right now.

And here is a new chapter! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 || Not just another year of Ole Yeller

Daphne could still remember the first time she ever called Deacon dad. It had been completely by accident one day many moons ago when she was doing her best to talk him into taking her out late one night for milkshakes.

"Daphne it's nearly 10pm, not only is your mom going to be upset that I am letting you stay up this late but she certainly will not be happy if I'm shoveling sugar in you." He had given her a knowing look that she knew that this was the truth. Her mom and Deacon had only been married a couple of months and with everything going on with Maddie, the house was tense enough as is without adding a stupid fight between them just because she wanted a milkshake.

But that didn't mean she didn't want to do everything in her power to make at least one of her parents smile and in her mind a milkshake was just that. Her mom was still at Highway 65 and neither Daphne nor Deacon had any notion of going to bed after spending the last few hours camped out in front of the tv. They deserved to go out, the needed some time together to just enjoy and forget about the void Maddie had left when she left them. That pain was never going to go away but she could at least try and move forward.

"Please?" She asked with the best pout she could come up with making her step father laugh before shaking his head making her push hard. "Please? Dad? Please?" She hadn't realized she had said it until she did and Deacon looked at her a soft but shocked smile on his face and she quickly covered her mouth completely freaked out over it. Before she could let him say anything she was coming up with ten excuses as to why she should go to bed and running up the stairs.

Twenty minutes later he was knocking on her door, two milkshakes in hand.

"Hey. Can I come in?" He had asked and she nodded still too embarrassed to say anything. It wasn't that she didn't mean what she said or she wanted to take it back, it was just confusing and she wasn't expecting herself to say it.

"I..." She began before he cut her off, sitting down next to her and handing her the cup.

She sat there nervously sucking on her straw watching his eyes having had found it amusing if it were any other day or situation that the great songwriter Deacon Claybourne was at a loss of words. She sat there for another twenty seconds before she started to freak out. Was he mad? Did he not want her to call him dad? He was Maddie's dad, not hers. She had a dad already but was it not okay to have two? Before she could sink further into humiliation he put a hand on hers.

"I know that you're freaked out, darlin'." He said calmly in that Deacon way that could calm anyone down. "And that's okay." He murmured pausing only to take a drink of his own milkshake. "I love you so much, and you my dear are my daughter and not only because I married your mom. When and if you are ready to call me dad you can, but only when you're ready. Okay?"

It was months before she called him dad again and that was just fine with the both of them because they both knew how they felt and that they had each other. He was her dad after all, no matter how strange she felt working through the courage to actually say it.

She was twelve years old back then, confused but happy to have so many people in her life that loved her so much. Now at sixteen she knew more now than ever that the people in your life are meant to be there and despite losing her mom devastatingly she had not one but two dads who loved her and her sister more than the world.

When her dad got out of jail it had been yet another shock to her system that she wasn't ready for. He wanted more than anything for her to move in with him and to leave Deacon, and the second he heard her call him dad it had blew things even more up than she expected but there was nothing more that she wanted in life but to live with Deacon. She wanted to continue the life they were building as a family, even with Maddie merging into adult life and leaving them to each other more than ever. They loved it though; they fought and loved like a real family. It was everything she knew her mom would want for them.

Three years had passed since they lost her, three years of holidays and birthdays where they wished she were there to spend it with them. Three years of having each other through the good and bad.

It was yet another birthday of her dads where he insisted of watching the saddest movie of all time in everyone's opinion but his. It was something he had done for years and even more so now that her mom wasn't there to talk him into at least going bowling to celebrate. She always chose to watch it with him, refusing to let him sit alone in the dark on a day where he deserved to be surrounded by love.

This year wasn't going to be any different except she was forcing it to be.

It had taken almost a year to plan her birthday present. There had been a lot of secret talks and meetings and more fights than she could ever imagine but she was adamant regarding her decision and was excited that the time had finally came to move forward.

"Dad, I get it. This is your thing, this is your favorite movie and I will happily watch it with you this morning." She said as she followed him through the kitchen laughing as he grumbled about not wanting to have a special birthday dinner even if it were just Scarlett and Maddie coming over. "But this is happening. It's been planned for weeks, we're going to sit here as a family and you're going to sit through it and let us sing to you and eat cake. Got it?" He glared at her and she smirked but she knew he was going to do it whether he hated it or not. He couldn't say no to her.

So they spent the morning watching Ole Yeller not once but twice before she made him go and relax while she began to set everything up. It was going to be a family affair and the excitement and nerves bundling in her stayed as Maddie arrived and then Scarlett and they enjoyed yet another meal together just enjoying each other and most of all the man who they all loved so dearly.

When it was present time she waited anxiously to be the last person to give him hers. Everyone in the room knew what was about to happen except for him and she knew that she was about five minutes from all her hard work coming to a final result. It had taken so long to sort it all out figure out how to do this that she was practically making her lip bleed from nerves as Deacon carefully opened the red packaging finding on top of the multi-layer box a framed photo of them. "Keep going." She said softly before he could say anything regarding the portrait and before he lifted the tissue paper to find another frame with a letter in it. "Read it out loud."

He looked at all of them, Scarlett already in tears and Maddie damn near it before looking down through his glasses and clearing his throat.

"Dad,

My earliest memory of you is when I was about three. Mom was on tour and you as her bandleader were running around the stage instructing the band as Maddie and I sat near the edge just looking at the empty arena. I remember inching closer and closer before being whisked up by you and you telling me that I was going to fall off and 'hit my cute little noggin'. You were my protector then as my Uncle Deacon and you are even more so now as the best stepfather I could ever ask for.

Throughout the good and the bad you have been there for me. You have been my rock, my heart, and my soul in which I don't know what I would do without you.

I know that I am a pain in your neck and you blame me for those gray hairs on your head, but I can't imagine being anything but your pain.

You are already by dad, but I have a question for you.

Will you be my dad?"

He looked at her confused as she slowly walked towards him motioning to look at what was underneath the next layer – a petition for adoption. Before she could say anything else he was pulling her into a hug, her head against his shoulder both of them crying as it hit him.

"I hope that's a yes." She mumbled with a laugh against his flannel causing him to laugh and nod as he kissed her head.

It wasn't just any old birthday anymore and they weren't just some family either. They had each other and she knew as Maddie joined in on their hug that their mama was staring down at them smiling away.

 **hi ya'll! so this is my last and final installment in this little deacon/daphne one shot series. this wasn't originally the prompt i had in mind but i watched one of those 'adoption surprise' vids on fb and it just hit me. this does make this story complete though! however if anyone has any prompts send them my way while i diddle daddle in a couple other true multi-chapters i have in mind (is s3 into for s4 over done yet cause i have feels over that time period, oh and a s5 rewrite maybe? idk) anyways send them my way and thanks for reading my short and sweet moment between these two. i had felt like they deserved a chapter or 4 of cute love for our favorite stepfather/daughter duo.**


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